Big, bipartisan Senate vote on anti-violence bill

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday, by a bipartisan 78-22 vote, passed a renewal of the federal Violence Against Women, and sent it to the House where Republican leaders have refused to allow a floor vote on the Senate’s legislation.

A group of 17 Republican House members, including Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash, sent a letter to leaders urging that they stop the stall. Washington’s three other GOP House members — Reps. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Jaime Herrera Beutler, and Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash. — did not sign the letter.

House Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Washington. They are key players in whether Congress will renew the Violence Against Women Act.

McMorris-Rodgers is a high-ranking member of the House Republican leadership.

“Now is the time to seek bipartisan compromise on reauthorizing of these programs: Violence Against Women Act programs save lives, and we must allow states and communities the opportunity to build upon the success of current VAWA programs so that we can help even more people,” the letter said.

The Senate-passed bill expands protections under the anti-violence law, originally passed by Congress in 1994 and reauthorized several times since.

It authorizes $659 million over five years to support law enforcement, prosecution and counseling efforts. Some of the money would be spent to protect Native-American victims of domestic violence on Indian reservations. Undocumented immigrant women would be covered, and allowed to remain in the U.S. to testify in criminal cases. Domestic violence victims in the LGBT community would also receive protection.

“The clock is still ticking and more than 160 million women across the country are waiting and watching to see if the House will act on this bill, and finally provide them the protections from violence they deserve,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “And just like the last Congress, we all know it will take leaders to move this forward.

“The fate of the Violence Against Women Act still lies squarely on their shoulders and too many women have been left vulnerable while they play politics.”

The Senate passed a similar bill last summer by a 68-31 vote. House GOP leaders did not allow a vote. In the wake of November’s election results — in which insensitive remarks about rape cost Republican candidates Senate and House seats — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has at least talked about seeking a compromise.

Such conservative lobbies as FreedomWorks have, however, come out against the legislation, claiming it is unfair to men. They have objected to provisions that would allow non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence on reservations to be tried in tribal courts.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., took a different perspective. “Because of the Senate bill, thousands of women in Indian Country will receive better protection if we can get this on the President’s desk and signed,” said Cantwell, who chairs the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

The 22 votes against the Violence Against Women Act all came from Republican Senators. A pair of votes were surprising.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, who will give the Republican response to the State of the Union address, voted “No.” So did Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, although his Republican seatmate Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho was the bill’s cosponsor.

A newly elected House member, Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., said after the Senate vote that the House can delay no longer.

“As a father of two young girls, I believe that no woman should ever be forced to feel unsafe or insecure in her own home, and no woman should ever suffer in silence in the face of domestic violence,” said Kilmer. “It has been 501 days since Congress allowed this law to expire. We can’t wait any longer.

“The House should quickly take up this strong, bipartisan (Senate) bill. We have to get this done.”